Fuel-feeding means.



G. W. BOTHWELL.

FUEL FEEDING MEANS.

APPLICATION man JUNE 5.191s.

Patented Jan 29, 1918.

GEORGE 'W. BOTH'WELL, OF ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA.

FUEL-FEEDING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 22, 191.

Application filed June 5, 1916. Serial No. 101,773.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BOTHWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'Ontario, in the county of San Bernardino,

State of California, have invented anew and useful Fuel-Feeding Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for supplying liquid fuel from a tank or reservoir to an orchard heater or other appliance, in an automatic and regulated manner, so that, when the fuel feed has been adjusted for proper feeding of fuel to the heater or other appliance, the rate of feed will be maintained substantially uniform notwithstand ing variation of level of fuel in the fuel tank.

The main object of the present invention is to provide improved means for the stated purpose which will insure feeding of the fuel in regulated amount, in the manner stated.

Another'object of the invention is to provide means for shutting off communication to the fuel tank from the outside when the heater is not in use, so as to prevent leakage or escape of fuel. in the form of either liquid or gas.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide for automatically shutting off the fuel supply when the effort to light the burner fails or the flame at the burner is extin guished, before the fuel is cut off by closing the valve.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of my invention, and referring thereto:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, with the heater shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the valve device for shutting off the fuel supply and simultaneously shutting off communication of outside air to the fuel tank.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4L in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another form of the invention.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a tank 1, provided with filling means 9, and with an outlet pipe 2 communicating with its lower portion for su ply of fuel from said tank, and an alr supply pipe 3 communicating with the upper portion of said tank for supply of air thereto. Said pipe 2 communicates with a P g 5 n a val e cas g 4:, which is provided with a bore 6 communicating with sald passage 5 and with a passage 7 connected to a fuel delivery pipe 8. Member 4 is further provided with a passage 11 communicating with air supply pipe 3 and with a passage 12 extending horizontally in member 1 and communicating at its farther end with the passage 7 aforesaid. Said passage 7 communicates with a passage 7 which extends horizontally therefrom to the outside of member 4: and communicates with an upwardly extending air inlet pipe 13, through an elbow 38 or other member screwing onmember 4: in such manner as to permit air inlet pipe 13 to turn on memher 4:. A tapered valve plug 15 fits in a tapered valve seat 16 formed in member 4 and intersecting the horizontal passages 6 and 12 in said member, said valve plug being provided with horizontal passages 17 and 18 adapted to register respectively with the passages 6 and 12 when the valve plug is turned to a certain position. The lower end of the valve seat bore is closed, as

shown, and a stufling box is provided at the upper end of the valve plug, the gland. 14 of said stufling box screwing into the member 4: and compressing the packing 14 around the spindle or stem 19 of the valve, so as to make a tight joint. Suitable handle means 28 may be provided on said valve stem.

The fuel delivery pipe 8 leads to a regulating valve or means 20, preferably a needle valve, having a lateral outlet 20 onto which screws an t. 21 connected to a feed pipe 21 leading to the burner of the heater, the construction being such that the feed pipe 21 may be turned upward or clownward on the joint formed by the members 20 and 21 and horizontally on the joint formed by members 21 and 21, to permit variations in the relative positions of the heater and the fuel supply tank, due to inequalities of the ground, etc., and to permit the feed pipe 21 to be folded up against the tank when stored away.

Any suitable form of heater maybe used, for example, the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprising a casing 30 having a stack 31 and provided with an air inlet 33 in the cover of the casing directly over the oil cup or burner 35, said cup or burner having, for example, a conical spreader surface 36 21., whose outlet extends directly over the apex of this surface. In order to provide 13 is by means of screw joints 39V and 39,

ermittin i e extension 24 to turn in ver- P h P tical. and horizontal planes to accommodate itself to variations in the relative positions of the heater and tank due to inequalities of the ground, etc., and to enable the pipe to be folded against the tank when stored away. I prefer to make the fuel tank 1 of substantially rigid construction so that condition of suction therein will not distort it.

The tank or fuel reservoir 1 is filled and tightly closed and the regulating valve 20 is adjusted to provide for the proper rate of feed of fuel. Normally, or when the heater is not in operation, the shut-off valve 15 is closed. When it is desired to operate the heater, the valve 15 is moved to open position so as to bring the passages 17 and 18 therein respectively in alinement with the fuel passage 6 and theair passage 12. Liquid fuel will then flow from tank 1 through outlet pipe 2, passages 6, 17, and 7 to fuel delivery pipe 8, and the fuel issues from fuel delivery pipe 8 through the regulating valve 20 and to the feed pipe 21 which conduct-s it to the heater, wherein it is ignited in any suitable manner. The valve 15 is not used for regulation, but only for shutting off the air and fuel, and when it is opened, as stated, it Wlll allow more oil to flow than can pass the regulating valve 20, so that the oil will back up in fuel delivery pipe 8 until it floods or submerges the passage 12 and cuts off ingress of air from air inlet pipe 13 to air supply pipe 3, and as air is thereby prevented from entering the tank 1 to replace the liquid fuel drawn therefrom, a

condition of partial vacuum orsuction is produced in. the tank, which stops the flow of fuel therefrom. In the continued operation of the burner liquid fuel is gradually drawn from fuel delivery pipe 8 through valve 20 until it is drained from passage 12 sufficiently to allow air to pass through said passage and to relieve the condition of suctionin the tank, whereupon an additional quantity of fuel will flow through fuel delivery pipe 8 until 'sald passage is again flooded, the device acting in this manner so as to malntaln a substantially contant pres sure of fuel on the regulating valve 20 and thereby maintain a constant feed of fuel through said valve. In case the flame at the burner should become extinguished the liquid fuel accumulating in the burner cup 35 floods the lower end of the pipe extension 24- so that it prevents air from entering the air inlet 26, thereby cutting off the supply of outside air to the inlet pipe 13 and stoppnig the feed of fuel until the heater is relighted and the accumulated oil is burned, when the flow of oil will start again.

lVhile the rise and fall of the fuel in pas sage 7 due to the operation of the automatic cut-off of the fuel by flooding the communication to the air inlet at 12, causes a slight fluctuation of pressure on the regulating valve, this fluctuation takes place during such short intervals that it does not affect the operation of the burner, and the average feeding action remains the same throughout the operation, as it is not affected by the gradual fall of fuel level in the supply tank.

The air inlet connection at the burner. through pipe extension 24 for causing the oil to be shut off when it fails to burn, may be omitted in any case when it is not required, the construction being for example as shown in Fig. 4, the same as above described, except that the pipe 13 may extend directly up from passage 7 in valve casing 1 and open at its upper end directly into the outer air.

What I claim is:

1. The combination of a fuel tank having a fuel outlet, an air supply pipe communieating with the upper portion of said tank for supplying air thereto, a fuel delivery pipe provided with a regulating means, a valve casing provided with a passage communieating with said fuel outlet, with a passage communicating with said air supply pipe, and a passage communicating with said fuel delivery pipe, an air inlet pipe leading upwardly from the upper end of the last named passage and communicating at its upper end with the outer air, the passage which is in communication with said air supply pipe opening into the last named passage at a higher level than the passage communicating with the fuel outlet and a valve in the passage communicating with the fuel outlet.

2. The combination of a fuel tank having an outlet, a burner, a fuel delivery pipe connected to said outlet and having a regulating valve, a feed pipe leading from said valve to said burner, an air supply pipe comniunieating with the upper part of said tank, passage means communicating with said air supply pipe and adapted to be flooded by fuel from said outlet, to maintain definite feed at said regulating valve, an air inlet pipe communicating with said passage means and extending upwardly therefrom, and a pipe extension leading from said air inlet pipe to said burner and adapted to be flooded by fuel at said burner, to cut off the fuel supply on accumulation of fuel at the burner.

3. The combination of a fuel tank having a fuel outlet and an air inlet, a heater, a feed pipe pivotally connected to said fuel outlet and adapted to fold up against said tank or to be turned down to deliver fuel to the heater, an air inlet pipe connected to said air inlet and having an extension pivotally connected thereto and adapted to be extended to connect with the heater and having an air inlet opening adapted to be flooded by fuel. at the heater.

4:. In combination with a fuel tank, outlet means connected to said tank to receive fuel therefrom, air inlet means connected to the upper portion of the tank, a fuel delivery connection communicating with said fuel outlet means and provided with regulating means, said air inlet means having a portion communicating with the fuel outlet means so as to be flooded by accumulation of fuel (triples of this patent may he obtained for tank, said air supply pipe having a portion extending above said tank, and a liquid delivery connection communicating with said liquid outlet means and provided with regulating means, an air'inlet pipe, and a passage means communicating with said air inlet pipe and with said air supply pipe and having a portion communicating with said liquid outlet means between the tank and the regulating means, so as to be flooded by accumulation of fuel between the tank and the regulating means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Los Angeles, California, this 29th day of May, 1916.,

GEORGE W. BOTHVVELL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner at Eatenta, Washingtom-D. G. 

